Apparatus for assembling and disassembling watch crystals



H. GERBER 2,994,949

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEMBLING WATCH CRYSTALS Aug. 8, 1961 Filed Aug. 4. 1959 F IG. JNVENTOA HERMAN 65265@ l .Awa/MH United States Patent This invention relates to chucks for watch crystals.

Difficulty has been experienced lin removing watch crystals from watches and in replacing crystals in the watches. This is particularly so because watch crystals-come in various sizes. It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a highly improved, easily operable watch crystal chuck which may be held in the hand and which is pro vided with a screw having a handle, the arrangement being such that upon turning the handle, the screw turns to move a plurality of annularly arranged spring fingers radially inwardly, or in a converging action to grip the edge of the watch crystal, to facilitate removal of the watch cryst'al from the watch, and to permit the watch crystal to be easily placed back in proper place on the watch, so that the handle may be turned backward to release the crystal after it has been properly positioned in the watch.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a chuck of the character described, a scale which will show sizes of crystals gripped, so that when the crystal is gripped the scale will indicate the size of the gripped crystal.

A further object of this invention is to provide a chuck for watch crystals, of the character described, in the form of an expanding and reducing tool which will remove round plastic watch crystals and then insert new roundy plastic crystals in the watch. The device embody-ing the invention comprises a casing having a tapered annular wall formed with a round mouth. Within the casing are a plurality of strip springs, means being provided to advance the springs so that the ends of the springs are guided inwardly to converge whereby to permit gripping various sized crystals.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a strong, rugged, and durable tool of the character described which will be Vrelatively inexpensive to manu-facture, which 'shall be asy to manipulate, positive in operation and practical and eiiicient to a high degree.

Othero objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features yof construction, combinationsof elements, and arrangement of parts which will Vbe exemplified on the construction hereinafterdes'cribed, 'ahdf which the 'scope of invention will beindicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying -drawing in which is shown at least one illustrative embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is atop vplan view of a chuck -for watch crystals embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a View similar to FIG. 2, but showing the tool in a more contracted position;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the ends of the spring fingers gripping a watch crystal, and taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the tool gripping a watch crystal with parts broken away and in cross-section.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 10 designates a watch crystal chuck embodying the invention. The chuck 10 comprises the casing 11 which may be made of metal or of other suitable material if desired. Said casing 11 comprises a cylindrical portion 12 from which extends YPatented Aug. `8, "1961 a lower or forward itusto-conical portion 13. At the forward endof portion 13 is an annular rim edge or mouth '14. VAt the upper end of the cylindrical wall is a rim edge 15. Fitted within the upper end of the cylindrical wall 12 is aniannular wall 16 which may be to the casing wall 12 means of a plurality of radial screws 17. Screws I7 pass tbrough'holes I8 in wall 12 and nengage in threaded openings 19 in the annular edge of the wall 16. Wall 16 is formed with a central internally screw threaded opening 20. VScrewed within said opening 20 is a threaded shankn21 of an operating member V22. Member 22 has a head 23 at its upper end formed with a through opening 24 through which Ypasses an elongated cross handle 25 fixed to the head.A Extending downwardly from 'the shank 21 is a stem 26 of reduced diameter. Contacting the lower end of the stem 26 is a small annular'collar 27 having a diameter greater than the outer diameter of the stem 26. The collar 27 has 4a central opening 28'and extending through said opening is a screw 29 having a shank screwed within an axial threaded opening 31 in the stem. Mounted on the stem 26 is a disc 35 formed with a Vcentral opening 36 through which the stem passes. The stern may rotate in said opening 36. The collar 27 contacts the under side of the disc 35.` Said disc 35 is formed at its periphery with a plurality Vof equiangularly spaced, longitudinal, shallow grooves 37. Mounted on top of the disc 35 is a thin plate 40 covering the upper ends of the grooves 37 and extending Vsomewhat beyond the annular edge 35a of the disc 35. Plate 40 contacts the shoulder 21a formed at the lower end of the shank 21. Interposed between plate 40 and wall 16'is a `spacer washer 45 having a central opening through which lthe shank 21 loosely passes.

Surrounding disc 35 is an annular ring or sleeve 47 frietionally gripping the periphery edges 35a of the disc 35 between the grooves 37. Mounted on disc 35 andfixed thereto by the ring 47, are a plurality of similar, symmetrically disposed, spring strips 5i). Each spring v50 comprises a straight portion 51 of uniform width, the upper end of which is received within on'e of the`g`roo'v'e`s 37. The upper edge of each spring 50 contacts the underside of the plate 4t?. Extending from the lower `end of straight portion 51 of each spring 50 is an inwardly bent spring iinger 52 disposed at an angle to the Straight portion 51, and forming a 'knee 53 therewith.

When the screw 22 is fully retracted the straight portions 51 of the springs areV parallel toth'e yaxis ofthe 'casing 11, and spring iingers 52 contact the inner frusto-conical surface 13a of the truste-conical wall 13 of the casing, as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing. I

However, upon turning the handle 25 clckwise, disc 35 and plate 40 and ring -4 7 and the springs k50 which; form a unit, move 1downwardly to flex the "springs wardly. It will be noted that the spring iingers 52 in the yposition of FIG. 2, normally press outwardly against the surface 13a. As the springs are all pushed downwardly, the spring fingers 52 are advanced and slide along the surface 13a so that the end edges 52a of the spring fingers converge and lie on a circle of ever decreasing diameter. The handle is turned until the spring fingers grip the edge of the crystal. Obviously, the smaller the crystal, the more the handle 25 must be turned for the crystal to be gripped. When the crystal is firmly gripped and contacted, the tool may be moved away from the watch to carry the plastic Watch crystal With it. When the plastic watch crystal is pressed radially at its edge, it decreases its diameter suciently to be removable from the bezel of the watch. In the same manner, a new round plastic crystal may be gripped with this tool and contacted, and then placed in position on `the watch, at which time the tool is turned for loosening the grip, and the crystal expands so as to be gripped by the bezel of the watc Means is provided to indicate the size of the crystal gripped by the spring fingers. To this end the shank Z1 of the screw 22 is formed with a at surface 62. Said flat surface may be provided with a marked or engraved scale. The scale is read against the upper surface of the wall 16.

It will now be understood that there is provided an expanding and contracting tool which will constrict round plastic watch crystals and insert new round plastic crys-V tals into a Watch, and this may be done by placing the tool over the plastic crystal and by turning the handle clockwise the crystal is compressed in diameter so that it can be removed.

The calibration on a scale indicates the size of crystal removed so as to make it possible to select proper size crystals for replacement. l It will thus be seen that there is provided an apparatus in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the condition of practical use.

As possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that -all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

lI claim:

l. A watch crystal chuck comprising a casing having a cylindrical wall and a frusto-conical wall extending from one end of the cylindrical wall, a closure wall fixedY to the other end of the cylindrical wall, and formed with an axial screw threaded opening, an axial screw threaded through said opening, said screw formed with a reduced stem at the end thereof Within the casing dening a shoulder, a disc rotatably received on said stern, means xed to thestem and contacting the underside of said disc, a plate on the upper side of said disc, said stem passing through an opening in said plate, and said plate, contacting said shoulder, a plurality of strip springs hav-ing portions at the inside of said casing and contact ing the outside of said disc, and end edges of said springs contacting said plate, means surrounding said disc and the portions of the springs which contact said disc, said springs having inwardly bent fingers at their lower ends contacting the inner surface of said frustoconical wall of said casing, the tips of said fingers being arranged in a circle, whereby when the screw is turned in one direction the springs will move longitudinally of the casing to cause said fingers to converge about the watch crystal lto be held. Y,

2. A chuck'comprising a hollow casing having a converging annular mouth at one end, a member movable longitudinally within said casing, and at least four spaced longitudinal strip springs arranged in a circle around the inside of the casing and having converging spring fingers strip springs arranged in a circle around the inside of the casing, means to press said springs against the insidev 2,994,949 Y e i at the ends thereof contacting the converging mouth of the casing, and means movable with said member to retain said ngers against the converging mouth and to move said springs forwardly and longitudinally of the casing in the direction of the annular mouth, to cause said fingers to converge, the tips of said fingers being arranged in a circle which decreases in diameter as said springs are moved forwardly.

3. The combination of claim 2 in combination with means screw threaded relative to the casing to move said member.

4. A chuck comprising, a casing having a cylindrical wall, a rear wall and a converging open annular front mouth, an axial screw screwed to the rear wall, a han-` dle at the rear end of the screw, a member within the casing, means to rotatably and non-slidably connect the forward end of the screw to said member, at least four longitudinal strip springs arranged in `a circle around the inside of the cylindrical wall, means on said member to rnove said springs forwardly in a direction away from said rear Wall, said springs having inwardly bent spring fingers at their forward ends contacting the inside of the converging mouth of -the casing, the tips of said yfingers being arranged in a circle, whereby the tips of said fingers will converge when the springs are moved forwardly.

5. The combination of claim 4, land a scale on said screw to indicate sizes of `watch crystals gripped by said spring fingers.

6. The combination of claim l, in combination with a spacer Washer on said screw and between the plate and rear wall.

7. In combination, a cylindrical casing, at least four of the casing, means to move said springs longitudinally of the casing, and said casing having means at its forward end to move the forward tips of said springs radially `inwardly as said springs are moved longitudinally forwardly the tips of said springs projecting beyond the casing and being arranged in a circle which Abecomes smaller as said springs are moved in a direction to extend the tips further out of the casing.

8. The combination of claim 7, the forward ends of said springs being inclined forwardly and inwardly.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 965,054 Weekes July 19, 1910 1,213,133 Poister Ian. 16, 1917 1,411,082 Gotsdanker Mar. 28, 1922 2,338,343 Maire Jan. 4, 1944 2,357,904 Mulcrone Sept. 12, 1944 2,468,286 Behlert Apr. 26, 1949 2,828,663 Andrade Apr. 1, 1958 

